DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No, 17 Nova Southeastern hit the road for the first time this season Saturday night, yet still looked right at home, as the Sharks remained perfect with a decisive 106-87 win over Embry-Riddle. David Dennis and Mark Matthews continued their hot starts to the 2018-19 campaign by combining for 45 points, while Connor Zinaich stepped up admirably with 22 points – all in the second half – off the bench in another impressive performance by head coach Jim Crutchfield's bunch.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 106, Embry-Riddle 87
Records: Nova Southeastern (5-0, 2-0 SSC), Embry-Riddle (7-4, 1-1 SSC)
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Nova Southeastern kept the crowd quiet throughout most of the game after hitting eight of its 10 total three-point makes in the first half. Both teams traded buckets, as neither side led by more than four points until a Lukas Landgren trey from the wing broke a 27-27 tie at the 8:04 mark. Moments later, still in front by only one possession, Nick Smith kick-started a quick 8-2 spurt with a pair of triples to give the Sharks the first real bit of momentum with just over five minutes to play before the break. A feed from Smith to Matthews handed Nova Southeastern its first double-digit cushion of the night, and would soon grow to a dozen following a spinning lay-up by Dennis. An old-fashioned three-point play by Embry-Riddle's Cj Henagan trimmed the margin back to seven with 28 seconds remaining. The Sharks would answer right back, though, as Eddie Puisis drilled a triple in the waning moments to send the visitors into the locker room up 51-41.
 
2^nd Half | Following a quiet opening 20 minutes in which he didn't even attempt a single field goal, Zinaich made sure his presence was felt in the second half. A three-point bucket from the left wing by the redshirt-junior kept Nova Southeastern ahead by double digits early on before the lead stretched to 14 with 14:09 to go. The Sharks didn't have much of a response for the Eagles' Luka Majstorovic, who finished the night with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-16 from the floor. Six straight points by the Embry-Riddle big man cut the lead back to 70-62, however, Zinaich soon began to go to work. The lengthy forward racked up seven points in a span of 2:12 to help keep the Sharks in control. Two more made jumpers by Zinaich pushed the lead back out to 14, followed by another bucket at the 2:33 mark, which helped the Sharks reach triple digits and ultimately sealed the win.     

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Sharks have now topped the century mark in four of their five games this season. Even in the one game in which they failed to do so, the Sharks still rattled off 99 points.
• The Sharks led for the final 28:04 of the contest.
• Nova Southeastern captured its first road win of the season in its first try on Saturday after posting a pedestrian 5-6 mark away from the Rick Case Arena a year ago.
• Saturday's victory helped erase the memory of the Sharks' 92-81 defeat in their previous trip to the ICI Center on Jan. 10, 2018. 

UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will remain on the road when it travels to face Saint Leo next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Sharks swept the Lions by an average of 11 points per game in both meetings in 2017-18. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.